ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Defence
Bridge constructed by Border Roads Organisation over Teesta River in North Sikkim opened for traffic
In a relief to the residents of Lachen in North Sikkim, the Border Roads Organisation  today opened for traffic 360 feet long bailey suspension bridge over Teesta River in Munshithang near Chungthang town. The 86 Road Construction Company  of 758 Border Roads Task Force , under Project Swastik, commenced the construction of the bridge in October 2019 and completed it in January 2020.
The approach roads to the bridge have also been constructed. The bridge will give impetus to tourism and facilitate the movement of logistics for the Armed Forces deployed in forward areas.
In June 2019, a steel bridge of 180 feet span at the same location was completely damaged due to a massive cloud burst resulting in severing the lines of communication in North District of Sikkim. The connectivity was kept open by routing the traffic through restricted Army land.
ABB/SS/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy
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Ministry of Defence
‘India@75 BRO Motorcycle Expedition’ team completes third leg from Siliguri to Doom Dooma; leaves for Kolkata
The ‘India@75 BRO Motorcycle Expedition’ has successfully completed the third leg covering 2,450 kilometres in less than 11 days and reached Doom Dooma, Assam on November 14, 2021 after being flagged off from Siliguri on November 05, 2021. Adventure and fun continued for the expedition team, comprising 17 men from Border Roads Organisation  and the Indian Army, as they progressed through the passes and places in Sikkim, Assam & Arunachal Pradesh.
The expedition team visited Nathu La  enduring -60 degree Celsius temperature on the very first day of the third leg, passing through Tsongmo lake also known as Changu Lake and took a halt at Gangtok. In the following days, the expedition navigated through Kalimpong, Hashimara, Guwahati, Tezpur, Itanagar, Pasighat and finally reached Doom Dooma.
The team undertook motivational lectures and connected with the school children, college students & NCC Cadets at Kalimpong, Hashimara, Itanagar, Silapathar  & Pasighat and in-depth discussions were conducted with the youth on how they can contribute to nation building. The team was able to spread the message of Road Safety Awareness by conducting numerous quizzes and outreach programmes almost every day involving all age groups at Tsongmo Lake, Nathu La, Kalimpong, Hashimara, Itanagar and Silapathar.
The team also interacted with locals attending medical camps organised by BRO Projects, visited orphanages & old age homes,met with the veterans at different places and laid wreaths at war memorials in remembrance of the Fallen Heroes. The team was flagged-in at Raj Bhavan by Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Chowna Mein who interacted with them and praised BRO for its role in nation building.
The ‘India @75 BRO Motorcycle Expedition’ has completed over a month since it was flagged off from New Delhi, traversing places through various States and Union Territories. The expedition has now moved to its next destination - Kolkata and will reach on November 27, 2021.
During the first leg of the expedition which was flagged off from New Delhi by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on October 14, 2021, the team had traversed through the high altitudes and snowbound areas in Himachal, Le & Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. In the second leg which started from Srinagar, the team ventured through the plains of Punjab, hills of Uttarakhand and the Indo-Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh & Bihar completing a 3,000-kilometre long journey at Siliguri.
ABB/Savvy
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
Super Cyclonic Storm ‘AMPHAN’  lay as a Deep Depression over Bangladesh
The Super Cyclonic Storm ‘AMPHAN’  movednorth-northeastwards as a Cyclonic Storm with a speed of 06 kmph during past 06 hours, further weakened into a Deep Depressionand lay centered at 1130 hrs IST of today, the 21st May 2020 overBangladeshnear Lat. 25.0°N and Long. 89.6°Eabout 300 km east-northeast of Kolkata, 110 km south-southeast of Dhubri and 80 km south-southeast of Rangpur .
It is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken further into a Depression during next 06 hours and further into a well marked low thereafter.
Forecast track and intensity are given in the following table:
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Date/Time
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Position

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Maximum sustained surface
wind speed 
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Category of cyclonic disturbance
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21.05.20/1130
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25.0/89.6
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50-60 gusting to 70
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Deep Depression
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21.05.20/1730
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26.2/90.3
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30-40 gusting to 50
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Depression
 Heavy rainfall Warning:
Assam & Meghalaya: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy &extremely heavy falls  at isolated places very likely on 21st May, 2020.
Arunachal Pradesh: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places very likely on 21st May, 2020.
 Wind warning
Squally wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph very likely over Western Assam & Western Meghalaya till evening and reduce gradually thereafter.
 Realised weather over West Bengal
Kolkata  reported 130 kmph at 1855 hrs IST and Kolkata  112 kmph at 1752 hrs IST of 20th May.
[Kindly visit www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in and www.mausam.imd.gov.in for updates on the system.
Ministry of Defence
Mr Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of Navy, United States Visit to India
Mr Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of Navy, US is on a five day official visit to India from 17-21 Nov 22. Interactions during the visit will include those with Adm R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff and high ranking GoI officials in New Delhi. Mr Carlos Del Toro is scheduled to visit Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command at Kochi, wherein he would interact with the Commander-in-Chief SNC and visit India’s first indigenous Aircraft Carrier, INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard.
India and USA have traditionally maintained close and friendly relations. The Defence relationship between the two countries has been one of mutual trust and confidence, which has transformed after the accord of major ‘Defence Partner Status’ to India in Jun 16. In addition, both countries have concluded certain foundational agreements, including the Defence Framework Agreement, signed in 2015, which lays a blue print for collaboration between the defence establishments of both countries, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement  signed in 2016, which is a foundational agreement facilitating reciprocal logistics support between the Armed Forces of both countries, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement  signed on 06 Sep 18, which facilitates information-sharing between the Armed Forces of both nations and more recently, the Basic Exchange Cooperation Agreement , which enables sharing of geo - spatial information between Ministry of Defence and National Geospatial Agency , USA.
The Indian Navy closely cooperates with the US Navy on numerous issues, which include operational interactions such as the MALABAR, last edition held from 09 – 15 Nov 22 off Yokosuka, Japan and RIMPAC 22 series of exercises, training exchanges, exchange of White Shipping Information and Subject Matter Experts in various fields, all of which are coordinated through the medium of Executive Steering Group  meetings conducted annually. In addition, warships from both Navies regularly make port calls at each other’s ports. Both Navies have also been cooperating towards exploring new avenues for collaboration with a shared aim of a ‘Free, Open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
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VM/PS
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Ministry of Education
Safety of Students in Schools
Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and therefore safety and security of the school children come under the purview of the respective States and UTs.Department of School Education and Literacy , Ministry of Education has developedGuidelines on School Safety and Security, which, interalia, contain provisions for fixing the accountability of the school management in the matter of safety and security of children studying in Government, Government-aided and Private Schools. These guidelines have been circulated to all States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies of DoSEL and Stakeholder Ministries on 01.10.2021. The guidelines detail the accountability of various stakeholders and different departments in ensuring the safety and security of children in schools.The guidelines issued by the center are advisory in nature and States/UTs are expected to implement them and they may incorporate additions/modifications to them, if deemed necessary, according to their specific requirements. These guidelines are uploaded on the website of DoSEL at
https://dsel.education.gov.in/archivesupdate?title=&field_update_category_target_id=All.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the LokSabha today.
Special Service and Features
STAFF SELECTION COMMISSION CONDUCTS COMBINED HIGHER SECONDARY  LEVEL EXAMINATION-2023
Staff Selection Commission will be conducting "Combined Higher Secondary  Level Examination, 2023" in Computer Based Mode. In Southern Region, 2,62,246 candidates have been admitted for the examination. The Examination will be held in 24 Venues at 20 Centres/Cities viz. Guntur, Kurnool, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Chirala, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh; Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar in Telangana and Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore in Tamil Nadu.
2. In Southern Region, the examination will be held for 10 days from 02.08.2023 to 04.08.2023 to 11.08.2023, 14.08.2023 and 17.08.2023. There will be 4 Shifts - 1st Shift from 09:00 AM to 10:00 AM, 2nd Shift from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM, 3rd Shift from 02:30 PM to 03:30 PM and 4th Shift from 05:15 to 06:15 PM.
3. Facility to download e-Admission Certificates will be provided in our website in such a way that candidates can download the same ONLY 4 DAYS BEFORE THEIR ACTUAL DATE OF EXAMINATION AND ALL THE SUBSEQUENT DAYS TILL THEIR DATE OF EXAMINATION. These details are also intimated to the candidates through SMS to their mobile numbers and through e-mail to their e-mail IDs as provided by them in their Online Applications.
4. PROHIBITED ITEMS such as watches, books, paper chits, magazines, electronic gadgets  are STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED in the examination hall. If any such item is found to be in possession of a candidate in the examination hall, his/her candidature is liable to be cancelled and legal/criminal proceedings could be initiated against him/her. He/she would also be liable to be debarred from appearing in future examinations of the Commission for a period of 3-7 years. Candidates are, therefore, strictly advised not to bring prohibited items and bags into the Examination Venue.
5. Candidates are further requested to note that they shall not be permitted to attend the examination without e-Admission Certificate and Original Valid Identity Proof as enumerated in the Instructions attached with e-Admission Certificate. All candidates are, therefore, requested to download their e-Admission Certificate without fail. For further queries/clarifications, candidates may contact Southern Regional Office Helpline Numbers .
6. The Commission has taken necessary precautions in view of COVID-19 and the candidates are requested to follow the instructions given in e-Admission Certificate regarding COVID-19 scrupulously for safe and smooth conduct of Examination.
7. The Press Note is issued for information and benefit of the candidates, according to a press release issued by K.Nagaraja, Regional Director, Staff Selection Commission
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Webinar on Poshan Abhiyan organised by Regional Outreach Bureau, Guwahati
With the clarion call of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, 'Poshan Maah' is being observed, to improve the nutritional outcome for children, adolescent, pregnant women and lactating mothers across the country during the month of September and to address the issue of Malnutrition on a mission mode. Accordingly, Regional Outreach Bureau, Guwahati organised a webinar on 'Poshan Abhiyaan' on Tuesday where discussion on the importance of nutrition was discussed. The theme of the webinar was 'POSHAN Abhiyaan– Nutrition and Immunity among Women and Child'.
In his welcome address, Sri. Arijit Chakraborty, Deputy Director, ROB, Guwahati highlighted how Poshan Abhiyaan intends to significantly reduce malnutrition in the next three years. He also informed that the chief objective of the mission is to reduce the level of under-nutrition and also enhance the nutritional status of children in the country by 2022.
Dr. Pooja Jaiswal, MBBS, Clinical & Sports Nutritionist, said that nutrition is essential for health and well-being at every stage of life. She discussed the Poshan Abhiyaan as a programmatic approach in addressing the life cycle issues of malnutrition. She threw light on the importance of a balanced diet, especially for pregnant women. She stressed adequate maternal dietary protein intake and informed the participants about the need for a healthy diet to prevent anemia during pregnancy.
Smt. Ronica Devarshi, Consultant, SPMU, Poshan Abhiyan, Assam, threw light on how Poshan Abhiyaan has been envisaged as India's flagship scheme to improve the nutritional outcomes of adolescents, children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. She highlighted on the various activities carried out by Poshan Abhiyan in the State and special activities taken during Poshan Maah.
Smt. W. Panthobi Singha moderated and summarized the Webinar and Smt. Smita Saikia, MCO, PIB delivered the closing remarks of the webinar with a vote of thanks to the speakers and the participants present. Anganwadi workers and officials of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting from the region participated in the webinar.
Ministry of Defence
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  ARMY DELEGATION ARRIVES IN INDIA
FOR ARMY TO ARMY STAFF TALKS AAST
A delegation of United Arab Emirates  Army is on a six day visit to India from 21 to 26 Mar 2022. The delegation is visiting Indian Army training establishments and then attend the Inaugural Army to Army Staff Talks . The aim of the visit is to enhance defence cooperation engagements between the two armies.
The UAE Army delegation is currently visiting Army establishments in Maharashtra to include School of Artillery, Armoured Corps Centre & School, Mechanised Infantry Centre & School, National Defence Academy, Command Hospital of Southern Command, Army Institute of Physical Training, Military Intelligence School & Depot and Bombay Engineers Group & Centre. The delegation will also be visiting Larsen & Tubro Limited and Tata Motors Limited at Pune.
The agenda for staff talks of inaugural AAST to be organised at College of Military Engineering on 25 and 26 March 2022, include issues related to military training, increase in course subscription in Indian Army establishments, conduct of bilateral exercises and enhancing defence technical cooperation.
Ministry of Education
Last date for seeking feedback/suggestions on ‘Transformative Reforms for Strengthening Periodic Assessment and Accreditation of all Higher Educational Institutions’ Report extended till 15th August, 2023
For strengthening the Assessment & Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions, the Government of India had constituted a High Level Committee, under the Chairmanship of Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur & Chairperson, Standing Committee of IIT Council vide Order dated 03rd November, 2022.
The Committee considered the introduction of strategic reforms consistent with the vision of the National Education Policy, 2020 and the need for adopting a simple, trust-based, objective and rationalized system for approval, accreditation and ranking of Higher Educational Institutions with a verifiable and secured centralized database through technology-driven modern systems. Methodologies for facilitating Ease of Doing Business for the stakeholders, duly facilitating students in making informed choices for selection of institutions/programmes, were also considered by the Committee. After a series of deliberations, the Committee submitted its draft Report on ‘Transformative Reforms for Strengthening Periodic Assessment and Accreditation of All Higher Educational Institutions in India’ to the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Earlier, this report was placed in the public domain from 19th May, 2023 to 15th July, 2023 to seek feedback/suggestions from all the stakeholders for finalization of the Report.
Now, the last date for seeking feedback/suggestions from all the stakeholders for finalization of the Report, placed in the public domain, has been extended upto 15th August, 2023.
The report is available on the website of the Ministry of Education  and the “MY GOV” portal. You can share your ideas at feedback_craar@iitgn.ac.in or visit ‘MyGov’ portal: https://rb.gy/ui0q1 for more details.
Prime Minister's Office
PM interacts with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees
PM engages in an open-hearted interaction in an informal setting
Children seek guidance from PM on the challenges they face
Children discuss a wide range of topics with PM including mental health, research & innovation, spirituality, among others
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar  awardees at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, earlier today.
Prime Minister presented souvenirs to all the awardees and discussed their achievements on a one-to-one basis, which was followed by interaction with the entire group. He engaged in an open-hearted interaction in an informal setting. The children asked him various questions about the challenges they face and sought his guidance on a variety of topics.
Prime Minister suggested the awardees to start by solving small problems, gradually build capacity, enhance capability and develop confidence to solve bigger problems as they go ahead in life. Discussing the issue of mental health and problems faced by children, he talked about tackling stigma around the issue and the important role of family in tackling such issues. Several other topics were also taken up by the Prime Minister during the interaction, including the benefits of playing Chess, taking up art & culture as a career, research & innovation, spirituality, among others.
The Government of India has been conferring the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to children for their exceptional achievement in six categories namely Innovation, Social Service, Scholastic, Sports, Art & Culture and Bravery. Each awardee is given a medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh and certificate. This year, 11 children from across the country, under different categories of Bal Shakti Puraskar, have been selected for PMRBP-2023. The awardees, belonging to 11 States and UTs, include 6 boys and 5 girls, namely: Aadithya Suresh, M. Gauravi Reddy, Shreya Bhattacharjee, Sambhab Mishra, Rohan Ramchandra Bahir, Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan, Rishi Shiv Prasanna, Anoushka Jolly, Hanaya Nisar, Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi and Shauryajit Ranjitkumar Khaire.
Special Service and Features
The Third and Final Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group  meeting of the G-20 concludes in Chennai today
Delegates of G-20 countries agreed on promoting DRR to support risk-informed sustainable development pathways
Brazil to take forward the DRR Working Group in their G20 Presidency.
The G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group , under the Indian Presidency, concluded the third and final meeting in Chennai today with all G20 members accepting the relevant action points under the five priority areas- Global Coverage of Early Warning Systems, Disaster, and Climate Resilient Infrastructure, Financing Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Disaster Response System, and the Ecosystem-based Approach to DRR.
The consensus amongst countries reaffirms their commitment towards Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 , to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks. Extensive negotiations during the two days of the meeting brought together G20 members, invited countries, besides international organizations, and knowledge partners.
The members agreed on accelerating their efforts to enhance universal coverage of multi-hazard early warning systems and transforming them into early action. They will foster collaborations between different stakeholders to build capacities to support anticipatory action and promote pre-arranged financing so that early action saves lives and livelihoods.
Members also emphasized the need for investments in disaster and climate resilient infrastructure, with a focus on G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment. They recognized the need to strengthen public-private partnerships, blended finance mechanisms, and governance systems for resilient and interconnected infrastructure projects. They have made voluntary contributions to a compendium of good practices on disaster resilient infrastructure, in the spirit of collaboration and sharing of knowledge and expertise on infrastructure resilience among different stakeholders.
G20 stressed on the urgent need to increase financing for DRR and for better integration of DRR into public and private sector investment decisions. The G20 members agreed on strengthening existing comprehensive national financing strategies for DRR that strengthen synergies between disaster risk financing and DRR financing in a risk-layered approach. They also agreed to develop and promote the use of assessment tools to analyze and quantify the economic impact of disasters.
Further, the countries aim to strengthen national and global disaster preparedness, recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction systems and learn lessons from past disasters. On the last priority, the members accentuated the need for the effective application of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches for DRR.
The Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group was newly launched by Indian Presidency in December 2022, and it is India’s legacy to the G20. The Brazilian Presidency will take forward the DRRWG when they take the esteemed Presidency of the G20 in December 2023.
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